


if something should happen

by parkrstark



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Canonical Character Death, Gen, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark Friendship, Mentions of Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Tony Stark Cries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2019-09-29
Packaged: 2020-11-07 14:35:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20818916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/parkrstark/pseuds/parkrstark
Summary: I hope I live until I'm eightyAnd I get to see my son get marriedAnd have some babiesAnd make a million more memories with my wife.Yeah, buddy, I pray alrightBut if it's my time to leaveCould you watch over them for me?If something should happen...





	if something should happen

**Author's Note:**

> I've been thinking about this before Endgame even came out and I never got around t writing it, but the song it was inspired by (if something should happen by daryl worley) kept playing on my shuffle playlist so it was kinda like fate was telling me I had to write it.

Ever since that day in Germany when Rhodey fell from the sky and he was honorably discharged from the Air Force, part of him felt empty. He’d been in the military for most of his life and to suddenly not have any orders to follow, it had been strange. 

So, when Thanos first became a threat those long five years ago, he’d welcomed something to do. A war to fight. People to protect. He regretted that relief when they lost. Which might have been part of the reason he had fought so hard during those five years with Nat to bring them all back. The guilt. 

But even during those five years, it was nothing compared to how they were working together now. This mission was more important than any other mission he’d ever completed under the U.S. government. They were getting back every single life they lost. 

All because his best friend was a damn genius. 

Tony figured out time travel and the rest of them then also figured the best spot in time to find all of the stones. They had their missions ready and they were ready to set out. Tony said he just wanted to run through everything one more time before they started. 

He hadn’t had a chance to talk to him alone since they started this and Rhodey wanted a moment to just tell him how proud he was of him. Sure, Tony didn’t need it, but Rhodey had picked up the habit back in college. His father never told him he was proud of him, so Rhodey was sure to tell him. Whether he aced a final or he had gone a weekend without having one drink. Rhodey always made sure to tell Tony he was proud of him. 

He saw him over by the computer and walked as fast as the braces on his legs let him walk. With a smile on his face, he stopped next to Tony and said, “You did it, buddy. I knew you could.” 

“Yeah,” Tony said, not looking over at him.  _ Something was wrong.  _

“What? Did we miscalculate something?” Rhodey asked, looking down at the computer to see what was causing him such worry. Rhodey didn’t have the IQ of Tony Stark, but he could still keep up. 

“No. Everything’s perfect. As long as we get the stones, we’re good.” Tony sighed before looking up. “Can I talk to you somewhere more private?” He gestured to the wide open room where the others were still loitering around amongst themselves. 

“Yeah, sure,” Rhodey said immediately, taking a step back for Tony to stand up. Tony was rarely serious, but when he was, it was important. Tony hesitated before he stood up and stalked walking to the room they had been brainstorming in. Rhodey followed him in and shut the door behind it. 

Tony took a seat at one of the chairs and Rhodey sat in the one next to him. Rhodey chuckled nervously once they were settled. “You’re scaring me here, man.” 

“Rhodey, we both know I can’t hide shit from you,” Tony said before Rhodey barely finished speaking. 

“Uh, yeah…” 

“I’m not gonna sit here and beat around the bushes, then. We don’t have time for that.” He took his glasses off his face and threw them to the table. “I don’t have a good feeling about this.” 

“What? The time travel? We tested it, Tones, don’t worry--.”

“Not the time travel. The entire thing. These things never end easy for us and if it comes to it…” Tony trailed off, but Rhodey didn’t need him to continue to understand what he was saying. He never needed Tony to speak for him to know what was going through his mind. 

“Tony, don’t start talking like this.” 

“There’s always a chance, Rhodes,” he snapped. Then he shook his head. “I’m sorry. That’s not-- I didn’t mean to be an ass. This may be our last heart to heart and I don’t want you remembering me as a dick.”

“You’re not going to die, Tony. No one is going to die.” 

“How do you know?” He asked, his voice genuinely curious and it wasn’t a 50-year-old man asking but a 15-year-old kid thrown into the adult world way to soon. But that’s the way Rhodey always saw Tony. As that same little kid he watched grow up since he first met him freshman year at MIT.

“Because I just know, Tones. You’ve fought death before. Time and time again. You’re not going to die when we’re so close to winning.”  _ Please don’t let him die.  _

“You don’t know that. No one knows what’s going to happen. But now, I’ve got a chance to say my goodbyes.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I recorded a basic goodbye and a few specific ones for people. Morgan, Pepper, Happy…” He swallowed thickly as he stared down at the table. “Made one for the kid too.” 

The kid. Peter. That was a topic that was taboo for the last five years of life. Before all of this, the last time Tony talked about Peter was a few weeks after Carol rescued him and he finally broke down, sobbing. Rhodey held him for hours as he cried about how Peter had fallen into his arms, begging and sobbing for Tony. Rhodey couldn’t ever imagine living with that. But Tony did. For five years. 

“You know you can’t leave him when we finally get him back. Shit, Tony, you solved time travel for him. You’re not giving up now.” 

“It’s not like I’m choosing this, Rhodey. I want to live. I’ve got a family now. I’ve got Pepper and I’ve got Morgan,” his voice cracked as he said his daughter’s name. “But if something should happen, I need you to do something for me. Well, a few things.” 

Rhodey didn’t want to entertain his crazy thoughts of not making it out of this alive, but if it gave Tony some peace of mind, he would. “Yeah, of course, man.”

“Pepper’s never needed anyone to look after her, but do it for me anyway, please. Take her out once in a while. Don’t forget about her just because you were my best bud first. I don’t want her to be alone.” Tony began to twist the wedding ring on his finger. “Maybe convince her to move out of the cabin and closer to you and Happy.”

“Come on, you say that like you even have to ask. Most times I like her better than I like you.” Rhodey smiled but he wasn’t feeling as happy as he wanted to. He joked, but it felt wrong. This all felt wrong. 

“Just keep her smiling. Please. She needs to keep smiling. Maybe introduce her to someone in a few years. Have Happy run like 50 background checks on the guy first though. Especially if he’s gonna be around my daughter.” 

Rhodey couldn’t even imagine Pepper moving on if she ever lost Tony. Her heart belonged to Tony and there wasn’t anyone else like him. “Tony…” 

“What?” Tony said, cleaning his throat to try and sound less like he was choking up. It didn’t work. “She’s my girl. They’re both my girls. I want them to be happy when I’m gone.” 

“You don’t need to do this, man. You don’t.” 

“I’ll hate myself forever if I don’t. Well, I guess if there’s an afterlife, wherever the hell I go, I’ll be hating myself.” He sniffed. That same sniff he did when trying to hide the fact he was feeling emotions, but Rhodey’s known him for over 40 years. He saw right through that bullshit. “Morgan’s still little and now she knows her dad, but you know kids...she won’t remember this for long. There’s gonna be a day where her dad is just a photograph and a memory she can barely hold on to.” 

Rhodey was having a hard time himself not getting emotional. Morgan was everything Tony deserved. He had Pepper and Morgan, the family that he’d always wanted. It would be cruel for the world to take them away from him now. 

“She knows you’re my best friend. You’re her Uncle Rhodey. Who else could tell her stories of her dad better than you? But do me a favor and only tell her the good ones. None of MIT or the years after. Start after Iron Man. Tell her all about her dad.” 

Rhodey wanted to rewind back to MIT...maybe not MIT because Tony was miserable. He wanted to rewind to the last time Tony was happy and carefree. He hated being in this moment. He squeezed his eyes shut remembering the night that Tony and Peter made him stay at the tower until 4 in the morning to watch Indiana Jones. They were happy then. The only thing they were worried about was Pepper catching them up way too late. 

He could still remember the way that Peter fell asleep early and he used Tony’s lap as a pillow. Tony hadn’t even blinked when he did so. He laughed and ran his fingers through his hair as he continued to watch. 

Rhodey wanted to rewind to that moment and pause it forever. 

“Before you know it, she’s not gonna be a little munchkin,” Tony said, breaking Rhodey from his thoughts. “She’s gonna be a teenager in the blink of an eye and you better meet every one of her boyfriends with the War Machine suit at the front door.” 

“That’s Iron Man’s job.” 

“I’m giving it to you. I’m also giving you the job of walking her down the aisle when it comes time.” 

“God, Tony--.” 

“I know it’s the father’s job to give her away, but I think that the Godfather can give her away too. Only if he’s worthy of her, obviously. Though, between us, there will never be such a man out there.”

“We shouldn’t talk like this, Tony. You’ve got plenty of time to worry about her causing trouble like that.” Rhodey wiped at his eyes when he felt them start to burn. He wasn’t going to cry because Tony was getting worked up over nothing. This was going to work. It had to work. Tony was going to survive and they were gonna have a nice long beer together after, laughing at this moment.

“God, I need a drink,” Tony said, shaking his head. “Anyway, she’s not my only kiddo. If this works and it better because he’s the reason I did this...Peter will be back. And I hope I get to see him before I go, but if I don’t get the chance to give him a hug for me, yeah?” 

When Rhodey heard his voice crack that time, he knew he was done for. There was no turning back. 

“I’ve owed him that hug since after Germany. Almost 8 years. You gotta give him a hug for me. First thing anyone does for that kid after it’s over is give him his hug.”

“You’re gonna give him the best hug of his life,” Rhodey said in a quiet voice. 

“There’s a lot I didn’t get the chance to tell him. I became less emotionally constipated after Morgan was born. I just wish Peter was there to see it. I wish he was there for it all. The wedding, Pepper being pregnant, Morgan being born...he missed so much. I had to do it all without him.” 

“5 years is a long time, but you’re about to get the rest of your life with him.” 

“Yeah,” Tony chuckled dryly. “But how long is that?”

“Years. At least another 40. We’re growing old together. Remember our plan back in MIT? We were gonna get old enough to be in wheelchairs and race each other. We haven’t established who’s the fastest roller yet.” 

“That’s me, obviously.” 

“We’ll see.” 

Tony shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe, but if I don’t make it to find out, maybe race with Happy. And kick his ass. But back to the kid...you know he would have been 21 by now. I was gonna have his first drink with him. Talked to May about it and everything. I wanted to share that with him. And then figure out his tolerance before he went off to college. Help him move into MIT.” 

Rhodey’s eyes widened when he let out a sob before he covered his mouth with his hand. He reached over and put a hand on Tony’s back. “Hey, Tones, it’s okay.” 

“I’m not ready to go, Rhodey,” Tony sobbed, moving his hand to blindly grab for Rhodey’s. “I don’t wanna go.” 

“It’s alright,” Rhodey said, taking his hand in his. “You’re alright.” 

“It’s not fair. It’s not-- I just got everything I ever wanted and I’m now gonna get Peter back and I could leave them. I don’t want to leave them. I want to grow old with Pepper. I want to hit at least our 5 year wedding anniversary. And Morgan-- my baby girl...5 years isn’t enough. I need more time with her. I want to know her as she grows up. I’m finally getting Peter back and then I’m leaving? How fucking cruel can fate be? 5 years without him. He should be here. It’s not fucking fair. Over 50 years of life and Peter was just never here at the right time. He wasn’t born for the first 30 years of my life, and even after he was I didn’t meet him until another 14 years later, and then he was here. I had him. Life was great...and then Thanos fucking stole him from me. He ripped him from my damn arms. I couldn’t hold on.” 

Rhodey didn’t know why Tony was so convinced that he was going to die in this mission, but he knew there was no way he was going to be able to change his mind. “It’s okay, Tony. If something does happen, you know I’ll watch over them. I’ll watch over all three of them.”

Tony hugged him tighter for a few more seconds before he pulled back, wiping at his eyes. “You’ll make sure they remember how much I loved them, yeah?”

“Like they could ever forget.” 

"I hope so." 

_ I know because I'm never going to forget you, Tony Stark.  _

Tony cleared his throat and continued, "I know you think I'm being crazy. And believe me, I hope you're right. I hope I get to live another lifetime with Pepper. I hope I get to see Morgan grow up. I hope I get to see Peter have kids of his own...because he's gonna be a great dad...but if I don't. If it's finally my time, I need you to watch over them. Promise you'll do that for me." 

"Of course, I promise," Rhodey said softly. "I hope you get to see all that too...but of course, if you can't, I'll take care of them." 

"May too," he added as an afterthought. "We had this whole co-parenting thing going on before...and I'm glad she disappeared with Peter because there was no way she was going to be able to live without him, but she's gonna need someone. Can you watch out for her too? Help her when she's overwhelmed. Stop by her place for dinner every now and then." 

Rhodey didn't really know May Parker, but if Tony wanted him to, he'd be her best friend. "Yeah, Tony. I will." 

"Thanks, Rhodey," he said, quietly as he used the next few minutes to calm himself down. When the tears were dry and his voice wasn't breaking as he spoke, Tony huffed and reached over the table to grab his sunglasses to put back on his face. “I managed not to cry during the videos and now I sob like a child.” 

Rhodey smiled softly. “You know I can always make you crack.”

Tony nodded his head. “Yeah, I know, honey bear. But I don’t have time to waste on my own emotions. We’ve got a world to save.” He stood up as if he hadn’t just been sobbing in Rhodey’s arms. Rhodey hated how good at hiding his emotions, especially like he hadn’t just had a breakdown moments earlier. 

“Tony, it’s going to be okay.” 

Tony shook his head before walking towards the door and opening it. “Don’t make me a promise you can’t keep.” He paused in the doorway. “I love you, Rhodey.” 

“Yeah, Tones...I love you too.” 

  
  


When Rhodey thought about that conversation later-- their last conversation-- he didn’t think about the promises he made (even though, of course, he would keep them). He thought about how much of a genius his best friend was. 

Not only did he solve time travel and bring everyone back, but he said goodbye, just in case something should happen...

And something happened, of course. Something _horrible. _

But at least Rhodey got to hear Tony say he loved him one last time. Not everyone was as lucky to get that. But he was and those words would never leave him. 

Letting Pepper cry on his shoulder for weeks after. _I love you, Rhodey. _

Cheering and whistling next to May as they watched Peter walk across the stage and get his diploma._ I love you, Rhodey._

Cracking open Peter's first beer._ I love you, Rhodey. _

Walking Morgan down the aisle. _I love you, Rhodey. _

Kicking Happy's ass in that wheelchair._ I love you, Rhodey. _

_ Yeah, Tones. I love you too. _


End file.
